Why Are Persian Kittens So Expensive ? Many people are under the impression that because a purebred kitten sells for so much money, that the breeders must be making a fortune. Without doing it, you have NO idea what is involved in raising kittens. Preventing and taking care of kittens with infectious diseases is extremely costly. It should be obvious that the more cats you have, the more costs are involved. Vets are not inexpensive, neither is the care of each individual kitten. When breeding cats that hold today's standards, a purebred kitten can sell for $400 to $600. This is for a pet kitten only. Breeding cats and show cats are considerably more. If cats are never shown at the standards, the breed will not exist. Breeding is not just for the rich but it is a very costly part of the cat world. Showing cats tells the breeder if they are breeding for the correct type as well as evaluating physical defects, not just the way a cat looks. Breeding Stock Costs All of the costs mentioned here are in Canadian dollars !! When you begin breeding, you have to purchase at least one good female that is registered and has a terrific pedigree. That queen needs to meet the breed standard and be cosmetically much better than a pet quality cat. The price of this queen is very high, between $700 to $1500. Experienced breeders often do not sell to newbies without a great amount of proof that the new breeder has done all the research and will do right by both her cats and the breed. Expense #1 Advertising, breed club fees, telephone calls - $200 per year A good breeding female - $700 - $1500 Veterinary Costs Each time you buy a new kitten or cat for breeding, you must be sure the kitten is in good health and has no infectious diseases that can be passed on to other cats in the breeding home. The vet visit includes a physical exam, a stool sample to test for worms as well as blood tests for FIV and Leukemia. Expense #2 Vet visit - about $250 Stud Male A new breeder must either pay money for stud fees or purchase their own stud male. The breeder must build a stud room which is very costly and has to be well thought out. If opting for stud service, the stud's owner must ensure that their stud is protected from being exposed to disease. Therefore, another vet visit is needed for your female before taking her to the studs home. Blood work will be repeated and the results passed on to the stud owner prior to every breeding. It is much more costly to own your own stud and more work but sometimes you have no choice if you cannot find a breeder willing to do stud services. Expense #3 Stud service and blood testing - $500 - $700 Purchase of your own stud male that meets the breed standard $1000 - $2000 Registration Fees You must pay to register your cattery in at least one association. The CFA is $50 for a 5 year period. The CCA is $45 per year. You must register your new breeding female, $12 and you must register each litter you produce $12. You will produce at least one litter per year, keep one kitten per year and have to register that kitten. Expense #4 Registration fees the first year $69 - $74 Every other year $45 plus cat and kitten registration fees Books If you are going to be a very knowledgeable breeder, you will have to purchase 2-4 reference/health books. These books will teach you what you need to know about breeding decisions, vet screening, genetics, raising kittens, caring for pregnant cats, diseases, nutrition and much more. Libraries unfortunately do not have the up to date books required. Expense #5 Books - Approximately $100 - $150 the first year and at least $15 per year after. Equipment You have NO idea what equipment is needed to raise kittens. At the very least, you need a heating pad specifically safe for kittens to keep babies warm - $45. Hypothermia can kill many kittens so this is a must. We have chose to purchase a high tech incubator - $1000. You will need bedding for kittens,, we use waterproof pads with vinyl between the layers to prevent babies from laying on wet bedding - $10 each. You also need disinfectants and cleaners that remove odours - $25. Feeding tubes, syringes for sick or weak kittens is another must - $5. KMR is the kitten replacer milk that we use for kittens needing to be hand fed - $25. A very accurate scale to weigh your kittens daily - $200. We use the Mars scale which weighs up to 11 lbs but is extremely accurate and weighs in grams, pounds and ounces. Kitten boxes or playpens to keep kittens in until they are litter trained - $100 - $300. Kitten size litter pans - $15. Birthing supplies, lube, dental floss for tying off umbilical cords, latex gloves, Kaopectate for diarrhea, eye ointments, paper towels, ear syringe to remove fluid from the nose and mouth of newborns - $50 Expense #6 Equipment for first litter of kittens - $560 - $1560. At least $40 per litter after that. Advertising and Promotion Advertising is very important, as is promoting the breed you are working with. You also need to promote your own cattery. There are various ways to advertise kittens but today, the internet is one of the most critical. Creating a web site is very time consuming but important to get your name out there. Expense #7 Advertising and promotion - $300 - $1000 the first year, this includes the ccost of a web site. About $200 each year after. Communication Communication includes phone calls, contracts, photos, business cards. A good breeder will have two different contracts, one for pet kittens and another for breeding animals that they sell. Many long distant calls are made when selling a kitten. Following up on each kitten sold is the most important thing a breeder can do. This tells her how her program is progressing, if there are any health issues popping up etc... Many of these calls are long distance and last longer than a couple of minutes. Expense #8 All forms of communication - $25 per month - $300 per year minimum Maintaining Your Adult Cats Toys, climbers, food, litter, vet bills and furniture all add up. It always costs more than $600 per year per adult cat but can quickly add up to over $2000. We never breed a female more than twice per year and only until she is 6 years of age. After that she is spayed and placed as a pet in a loving home. There will always be adult cats looking for good homes due to replacing your breeding stock, cats that just do not work out, health problems, difficult birthing moms, behavioral problems. The older a cat gets, the more the vet bills are as they have special needs as they age. There are dental cleanings yearly on some adult cats. No matter what the intentions are, there are always more cats than are desired in any cattery since they are special cats that you just cannot place since you are too attached, adults that require special attention. It is very emotionally draining parting with cats that have been part of your life for years. You then replace these cats with other breeding animals which may or may not produce. These are the risks you take. (cont'd) |
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